Jim MacLaine is 18-years old and studying for his advanced level exams, beginning to find his work increasingly irksome. He packs a suitcase, hitches a lift to the coast, and starts a new life with a new job. While working at a fairground, he's invited to a university dance by his old friend Terry, where he meets Terry's sister, Jeanette. They fall in love, marry, and when their first child is born, Jim seems content. But it is not long before he once again walks out in search of freedom and irresponsibility.